Manchester United have opened discussions with United States national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino as the club considers replacing Michael Carrick, whose future at Old Trafford is reportedly hanging in the balance.
According to BBC Sport, Carrick is expected to leave his position this week, with the club’s leadership preparing to make a decision on his future.
Carrick’s fate is expected to be determined during a meeting in Monaco on Wednesday involving Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The meeting, which forms part of the club’s regular strategic discussions, is expected to focus primarily on the team’s poor performance and the next steps in its managerial structure.
Berrada and Wilcox are reportedly expected to recommend Carrick’s departure.
Meanwhile, United have begun discussions with Pochettino over a possible return to the Premier League. The former Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Chelsea manager has emerged as a potential candidate to take charge of the struggling English giants.
The Argentine has previously been considered for the Manchester United job on three occasions. The club approached him following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal in 2018, again in 2022 before appointing Erik ten Hag, and once more in 2024 after the Dutchman’s departure.
Pochettino, 54, renewed his contract with the United States in August but reportedly has a release clause worth $10 million (£7.5 million), which could facilitate his departure.
His immediate commitments include a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Haiti over the coming week.
Carrick’s potential departure comes amid a difficult start to the Premier League campaign for Manchester United.
The club are currently 18th in the league standings, inside the relegation zone, after winning just one of their opening 10 matches and failing to record a victory since August.
Their position represents United’s worst start to a top-flight season at this stage since the 1986-87 campaign, when they were 20th in the standings.
Carrick was pictured arriving at the club’s Carrington training ground on Wednesday as uncertainty continued over his future.
Pochettino began his Premier League managerial career at Southampton in January 2013 before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2014.
He spent five years at Tottenham, guiding the London club to the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.
After leaving Spurs, Pochettino managed Paris Saint-Germain from January 2021 to July 2022 before taking charge of Chelsea for the 2023-24 season.
He moved into international management in September 2024 after being appointed head coach of the United States national team.
Pochettino subsequently led the United States, one of the co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to the last 16 of the tournament.
His potential appointment at Manchester United would mark a return to English football and give him another opportunity to manage one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
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